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Trans Fats: Content Not Clearly Labeled On Many Packaged Foods Beloit College Fall 2008 Jeanette Geraci ABSTRACT "Industrial" trans fats are unnatural, commercially-produced fats whose double bonds have an orientation different from those of natural (cis) fats. They contribute to poor cardiovascular health, the elevation of serum low density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol levels (particularly in women), infertility, weight gain, and stroke. Likewise, they lower high density lipoprotein ("good") cholesterol levels, substantially increasing consumers' risk of developing coronary heart disease, One might hypothesize that many American food companies claim that the foods they produce are "trans fat free" when in fact, they are not. Since trans fats provide no health benefits but, at the same time, pose many health risks, there is no acceptable upper limit of or suggested daily value for trans fats. 0 g per day is the “ ideal ” amount. INTRODUCTION Chemists create trans fats (artificial fatty acids with trans double bonds) by mixing hydrogen gas with vegetable oil. Industrial trans fats are illegal throughout Europe and were recently banned in restaurants throughout New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Albany County of New York, and King Country of Washington (10). These trans fats became prevalent in American- made snack and fast food items in the 1960s, primarily because they served as excellent food preservatives and enhancers of food texture, making crispy foods (i.e. chips and French fries) crispier and creamy foods (i.e. cupcake icing) creamier. Likewise, when awareness of the hazards of saturated fats became widespread, food companies became increasingly focused on lowering the levels of saturated fat within the foods they produced. Thus, these food companies replaced saturated fats with trans fats (8). Since trans fats are useful to manufacturers in producing snack foods, but are ultimately nutritionally harmful, I hypothesize that trans fat content is often not clearly or accurately labeled on many packaged food items in the U.S. RESULTS - Labeling The American Heart Association states that we should take in a maximum of 2 g of trans fat per day. Assuming that one consumes roughly 2000 calories/day, that is equivalent to about 1% of his/her total daily caloric intake (9). However, it should be emphasized that some meats (beef, sheep, and goat) and dairy items (milk, butter, etc.) contain the kind of trans fats that occur in nature (vaccenic acid). Thus, most of us already consume our maximum 2 g of trans fat per day before indulging in foods that contain unnatural, particularly harmful trans fats (9). Until 2006, food companies were not required to list information about trans fat content on nutrition labels (5). Although the media has recently brought attention to the negative effects of trans fats, they are still present in many American foods. Instead of eliminating industrial trans fats, the American food industry packages many popular snack and fast food items in a way that does not clearly indicate the presence of trans fats. Food companies are now allowed to label foods with less than 0.5 g of trans fat per serving ” Trans Fat free," rationalizing that since we can "acceptably" consume up to 2 g of trans fat per day, < 0.5 g is not substantial enough to have a notable effect on consumers ’ health (6). Thus, if one serving of processed peanut butter is equal to two tablespoons, and those two tablespoons contain not zero, but 0.4 g of trans fat, then that peanut butter can and will be labeled trans fat free. Furthermore, if one eats not two, but three tablespoons of peanut butter within a given sitting, then s/he will consume roughly 0.6 g of trans fat -- over a quarter of his/her daily maximum! When I examined the nutrition facts labels of various, popular brands of peanut butter labeled, “ 0g of Trans Fat Per Serving ” (including Peter Pan, Jif, and Skippy) all contained hydrogenated vegetable oil -- an ingredient synonymous with trans fat. Table 3 - Examples of other packaged foods whose nutrition facts labels boast 0g of Trans Fat/Serving, yet contain ingredients such as hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils: CONCLUSION It is possible to remain more conscious of the presence of industrial trans fats in foods by reading not only nutrition facts, but also ingredient labels. RESULTS - Health Effects In a recent study, researchers fed 51 male monkeys a “ calorie controlled ” diet consisting of 35% total fat. Half the monkeys involved in this study consumed foods containing trans fats amounting to roughly 8% of their total daily caloric intake, while the other half consumed mostly unsaturated fats. The monkeys who consumed trans fats gained weight while the monkeys who consumed unsaturated fats did not. (4) Results of the Nurse's Health Study demonstrate that for every 2% elevation in the number of trans fat calories (as opposed to. carbohydrate calories) a woman consumes, her risk of infertility shoots up by about 73%. (2) In a 2004 study, four pigs were divided into groups. Over the course of two 14-day periods, the pigs in one group ingested foods containing hydrogenated soybean oil (trans fat) while the pigs in the other group ingested foods containing coconut oil (saturated fat). The results of this research study confirmed that trans fat consumption raises LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while lowering HDL ("good") cholesterol levels -- even more so than saturated fat. (3) In another recent study, 486 Tehrani women in apparently good basic physical condition filled out a survey based on the frequency of their ingestion of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fats) vs. non-hydrogenated vegetable oils (cis fats). Research conductors took blood samples, and found that there is, indeed, a detectable link between higher levels of trans fat consumption and higher concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers within the female body. (1) METHODS I sought evidence in support of my hypothesis in the peer- reviewed, scientific literature and government websites that I examined. Likewise, I encountered documentation of multiple research studies that demonstrate the extent to which industrial trans fat consumption has an adverse effect on human health. Table 1 - Types of Fatty Acids FATTY ACID Trans Fat CHEMICAL STRUCTURE COMMON SOURCES *Margarine *French Fries *Processed Peanut Butter Cis Fat *Nuts *Legumes *Olive Oil *Fish *Shortening *Hydrogenated vegetable oils *Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils Table 2 - Beware of these Ingredients: REFERENCES 1.Azadbakht L. and Esmaillzadeh A October. "Home use of vegetable oils, markers of systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction among women 1,2,3." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Homepage. Accessed 2008 Oct. 2.Boyles S Jan. 12. ”Trans Fats May Increase Infertility." Homepage. Accessed 2008 Nov.*Article reviewed by medical physician. 3. Davis J April 19. "Trans Fat Raises Bad Cholesterol." Homepage. Accessed 2008 Oct. *Article reviewed by medical physician. 4. DeNoon D June 12. "Eat Trans Fat, Get Big Belly." Homepage. Accessed 2008 Oct..*Article reviewed by medical physician Sept. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Revealing Trans Fats." Homepage. Accessed 2008 Sept Jan. 1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Trans Fat Now Listed With Saturated Fat and Cholesterol on the Nutrition Facts Label.” Homepage. Accessed 2008 October.http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html#where> “Position Paper On Trans Fatty Acids.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 63, Homepage “Position Paper On Trans Fatty Acids.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 63, Homepage Accessed 2008 Nov. *Pillsbury brownie batter (1 serving = 1/20 of a given package) *Ritz crackers (5 crackers/serving) -Dale and Thomas Popcorn Cinnamon Crème Drizzlecorn (1/2 cup/serving) -Hostess Cupcakes (1 cupcake/serving) -Lays Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (1 oz/serving) -Post Fruity Pebbles Cereal (3/4 cup/serving) DISCUSSION These results demonstrate that trans fats are hazardous, but difficult to detect in American food and drink products. Although they are banned in many places, we can still easily find trans fats in many snack and fast food items in the U.S.. It is important for us to examine the ingredient labels of those food items we consume in order to be certain that they do not contain shortening, hydrogenated vegetable oil, or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, even if their labels claim that they are “ Trans Fat Free, ” or “ Contain No/0g of Trans Fat Per Serving. ” Jan/Feb. “The Road To Reducing Trans Fat In the Food Supply: A Year of Progress… Miles Left to Travel.” Homepage. Accessed 2008 Sept Nov. 12. “Trans Fats.” Homepage. jhtml?identifier= > Accessed 2008 Oct. 10. “Trans Fat.” Homepage. Accessed 2008 Oct.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat 7. 1996. “Position Paper On Trans Fatty Acids.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 63, 663-670. Homepage 7. 1996. “Position Paper On Trans Fatty Acids.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 63, 663-670. Homepage Accessed 2008 Nov. *Pillsbury brownie batter (1 serving = 1/20 of a given package) *Ritz crackers (5 crackers/serving) -Dale and Thomas Popcorn Cinnamon Crème Drizzlecorn (1/2 cup/serving) -Hostess Cupcakes (1 cupcake/serving) -Lays Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips (1 oz/serving) -Post Fruity Pebbles Cereal (3/4 cup/serving) DISCUSSION These results demonstrate that trans fats are hazardous, but difficult to detect in American food and drink products. Although they are banned in many places, we can still easily find trans fats in many snack and fast food items in the U.S.. It is important for us to examine the ingredient labels of those food items we consume in order to be certain that they do not contain shortening, hydrogenated vegetable oil, or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, even if their labels claim that they are “ Trans Fat Free, ” or “ Contain No/0g of Trans Fat Per Serving. ” 8. 2008 Jan/Feb. “The Road To Reducing Trans Fat In the Food Supply: A Year of Progress… Miles Left to Travel.” Homepage. http://www.ific.org/foodinsight/2003/nd/transfatfi603.cfm> Accessed 2008 Sept. 9. 2008 Nov. 12. “Trans Fats.” Homepage. jhtml?identifier=3045792> Accessed 2008 Oct. 10. “Trans Fat.” Homepage. Accessed 2008 Oct.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat">